Why You Shouldn’t Micromanage – It Sucks

We think no one can do the job as good as we can. Why is that? Is it a control issue, or is it we believe we are so good?

Either way, it’s not a good thing and if effects you like this.

If you work in the corporate world, your team don’t think much of you, your reputation would pretty much suck as you’re known for micromanaging the making of a cup of coffee. Ever wondered why you’re the only one in the kitchen? If you’re an Entrepreneur, chances are you’re working with remote teams, including virtual assistants and you’re constantly on the email wanting to know what’s happening, where things are at, changing the way you asked the to do something for the tenth time.

Am I holding the mirror too close? Here is all your achieving by being a micro manager and it’s not pretty.

Why You Shouldn’t Micromanage – It Sucks!

Micromanagement suppresses innovation. You are stopping others from achieving their best for you, the micromanaging client. Because you don’t feel anyone else can do what you need to be done, better than you, you actually make them feel insignificant and not worthy of having an idea, to begin with.

Micromanagement slows down workflow because it doubles workload. Delegation is the key to success of any organisation. But the inefficiency to outsource even the smallest task will lead to you doing all the work yourself and spending twice as much doing all the little things in your business and not concentrating on the bigger picture. This is how business stalls, why you as the entrepreneur feel you’re not getting anywhere, why you can’t push past that 10k income a month.

Micromanagement kills confidence. You should be trying to empower your team not put up barriers. The act of micromanaging will only make your team feel inadequate. Refer to Point 1. Micromanagement suppresses innovation above. When team members lack confidence, they are rendered worthless. This is why you have high team member turnover

Micromanagement leads to resentment and insecurity. Working with a micromanager can be like walking a double edged sword. You want the money, but you don’t want the feeling of worthlessness, anxiety and stress that come with working with one. Heads up micromanagers, you wouldn’t realise that this is how you make people feel. This is a major reason, VA’s you’re working with just vanish, they simply don’t want to work with you anymore so they become sick, are not online often and they don’t tell you because, for them, it’s easier to tell you they’re sick, or have internet connection issues rather than you’re a jerk to work with.

Micromanagement kills creativity and productivity. Micromanaged employees always feel like they will never meet your expectations. And since they think their output will never be as perfect as it should be, striving for the best possible outcome will also be inhibited. There may be cases where micromanaging is necessary, but more often than not, micromanaging only causes trouble.

Symptoms Suffered by All Micromanagers

You don’t delegate

You are constantly checking and looking for progress

You’re bogged down in the day to day

You’re the only one with good ideas

You’re the expert, no one else has an opinion

You turn over team members often

You struggle to focus on the long term

Your team think you’re not so nice

If all that is stopping you from moving forward are documented processes, then your only solution is to get someone in to get them all in a row for you. Document how you like things done, so you can empower your team to help you grow your business.